Indonesia workers protest action against the new wage regulation 2015

On 23 October 2015,Indonesian government had passed the controversial new wage regulation . This (Article No 78 2015 on Policy of Wage) regulates wage (minimum wage, overtime, scale of wage, tax of wage, etc).

Photo: Yohana Surdasono, Indonesia

On 23 October 2015,Indonesian government had passed the controversial new wage regulation . The regulation on wage (Article No 78 2015 on Policy of Wage) regulates about wage (minimum wage, overtime, scale of wage, tax of wage, etc).

The workers raised strong demands that President Jokowi repeal the law that excludes unions in annual negotiations over the minimum wage. They have vowed to continue demonstrations and strikes until their demands are met. The trade unions, include AFWA Indonesia in Indonesia reject the new regulation that promote the politics of cheap wage and wage determine by market determination instead of real living cost of the workers.

A demonstration was organized on 30 October 2015 in state palace,Jakarta. 30,000 workers participated in this protest and yet the protest ended with repression from the state apparatus, 15,000 police force , attack by tear gas a/ water canon and 23 workers were arrested.

The protest, joined by some 13,000 workers across the Greater Jakarta area, followed a series of demonstrations in recent months by workers who demanded that Governor Joko Widodo and Deputy Governor Basuki Tjahaja Purnama raise the 2014 provincial monthly minimum wage to Rp 3.7 million ($325).

The workers raised up to seven demands to the Jakarta administration, including revisions to the 2014 minimum wage for the Greater Jakarta Area, Karawang, Serang, Cilegon, Bandung, East Java, Batam and other industrial areas to between Rp 2.6 million and Rp 3 million, from the current figures of Rp 2.4 million in Jakarta and less elsewhere.

The second demand is to implement a minimum wage by sector in every region, with an increase of up to 15 to 30 percent from the revised minimum wage

The third demand is reject any delays [by companies] on the implementation of the minimum wage, and imprison business owners who are not paying workers according to the minimum wage.

Workers also demanded that law enforcement officials take strict action in recent cases of violence against several workers in Bekasi.

AFWA and its partners in Indonesia strongly condemned the violence attack of the government. A Statement of protest was issued and also mobilization of others unions to lend their solidarity to the arrested workers.